South American football expert Tim Vickery has branded Independiente del Valle midfielder Moises Caicedo "the genuine article" and has said that Manchester United are in pole position to sign him.

The 19-year-old has been strongly linked with the Red Devils in recent weeks, although Independiente general manager Santiago Morales recently denied that the 20-time English champions had been in contact.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side are thought to be keen to bring the teenager to Old Trafford, though, while Chelsea are also believed to have an interest in the Ecuador international.

Vickery has claimed that Caicedo "already offers more" than Chelsea's N'Golo Kante and could light up the Premier League if he makes the move during the January transfer window.

"It looks like he is locked in for Manchester United and if it goes through, they have got themselves the real deal Holyfield! Only 19. The way the market is going with South American football is the European clubs want to take them as early as possible. They are buying on promise," Vickery told Sky Sports News.

"The fella Moises Caicedo is much more than promise, he is reality. He is the first player born in the 21st century to score a goal in South American World Cup qualifiers.

"We have just lost Colin Bell and I am not saying he is as good as Bell but Moises Caicedo is in that kind of mould. He is a terrific athlete who makes football look easy. A box-to-box midfielder.

"A year ago he was saying that (N'Golo) Kante of Chelsea is his role model but he is already more than that. He already offers more in the final third. That kind of box-to-box midfielder that's very much in the tradition of the England game. Strong, quick, intelligent and cool. He really does look like the genuine article."

Caicedo has scored six times and registered two assists in 31 outings for his Ecuadorian club.